Thoughts from the interface of science, religion, law and culture

After spending several years touring the country as a stand up comedian, Ed Brayton tired of explaining his jokes to small groups of dazed illiterates and turned to writing as the most common outlet for the voices in his head. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and the Thom Hartmann Show, and is almost certain that he is the only person ever to make fun of Chuck Norris on C-SPAN.

Science blogs

EVENTS

Idaho Sheriff Isn’t Too Bright

I’m sure this will come as a huge shock to you, but it’s pretty easy to get elected as a county sheriff while being a complete moron. Case in point, Sheriff Ben Wolfinger of Kootenai County, Idaho, who says he’s dropping his agency’s sponsorship of a Boy Scout troop because the group is now “promoting” sodomy, which he mistakenly thinks is illegal.

The Kootenai County Sheriff said Friday that he is compelled to drop the department’s Boy Scouts of America charter because the organization is promoting a lifestyle that is against state law.

“It would be inappropriate for the sheriff’s office to sponsor an organization that is promoting a lifestyle that is in violation of state law,” Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said.

Sodomy is against the law in Idaho, he added.

Really, Mr. Wolfinger? Allowing gay teens to join the Boy Scouts is “promoting sodomy”? Seriously? If you investigate a crime committed against a gay person, would you also be promoting sodomy? If a business does not deny gay people the right to shop there, are they promoting sodomy? Not discriminating against gay people does not promote sodomy, you moron. And sodomy is not illegal in Idaho or anywhere else and hasn’t been for a decade. The Supreme Court struck down all such laws in 2003. As the chief law enforcement officer of the county, one would think you might know that.

Well, when you’re a bigot for no very good reason you’re bound to have to say some mighty stupid things to cover your ass. Admittedly this guy has come up with some of the stupidest rationalizations evah, but I live in Maricopa County, Arizona, and you can’t scare me with tales of stupid sheriffs.

“And just what is Mr. Wolfinger’s position on sodomy in the sheriffs department ?
Well, if being fucked in the head is considered sodomy then I declare Wolfinger…Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Sadly I think he is due for aq life sentence.

@Synfandel: “Is the sheriff aware that sodomy is also a heterosexual practice? In fact, given the far greater numbers of heterosexuals, it’s possible that it is predominantly a heterosexual practice.”

I would go even further, is the gentleman in question aware that in some jurisdictions the legal definition of sodomy is not restricted, as is commonly current usage, to anal penetration but also encompasses fellatio?

Even more worrying, is this gentleman – a law enforcement officer, of the opinion that the retention of this (constitutionally invalid) law on the books empowers him and his staff to arrest people who engage in the relevant sexual act?

Even if you consider sodomy to be strictly butt-sex, I believe I read a short while back that something like 1/3 of heterosexual couples have tried it. Given that gays account for an estimated 5% to 10% of the population, then it’s fair to assume there’s WAAAAY more godly couples with mixed genitals taking the Hershey Highway to Happy Town than godless sodomites.

Idaho was one of the states that still technically has its sodomy laws on the books (albeit invalid thanks to Lawrence v. Texas). If I recall, they had the harshest punishment of any state (up to life imprisonment, but no less than five years). Fuck Idaho (but not anally, you filthy pervert).

Idaho was one of the states that still technically has its sodomy laws on the books (albeit invalid thanks to Lawrence v. Texas). If I recall, they had the harshest punishment of any state (up to life imprisonment, but no less than five years). Fuck Idaho (but not anally, you filthy pervert).